$66 million lottery winner introduced, plans to be smart' with money

Kelsey Zachow, 24, of Port Huron, holds the ceremonial $66 million Mega Millions lottery winning check at a press conference Thursday at a Michigan regional lottery office in Sterling Heights.
DAVID DALTON for THE MACOMB DAILY

Kelsey Zachow was commuting almost daily from Port Huron to Macomb County for jobs to help support her baby son and boyfriend’s daughter.

The 24-year-old Mount Clemens native doesn’t have to do that anymore. She’s $27 million richer by collecting a lump-sum payment for the $66 million Mega Millions winning lottery ticket she bought for the June 13 drawing.

She quit her jobs as a bartender at Little Lorraine’s in Mount Clemens and medical assistant at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township.

“I was going to (work), to do the right thing” after learning she won, she said. “And I talked to both of my bosses and told them what was going on, and they both told me, ‘What are you doing here? Why are you here?’”

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So started concentrating on managing her windfall while tending to children.

Zachow, formerly of Chesterfield Township, was introduced to the public today in a press conference at the lottery regional headquarters in Sterling Heights. She was joined by a jovial group of her family members, including a couple of crying babies, and those of her live-in boyfriend, Billy Bartlett, 26.

Zachow bought the winning ticket at Sonny’s Mart in Mount Clemens, where she often purchased five tickets for each Mega Millions drawing over the past five years, before arriving for her 4 p.m. shift at Little Lorraine’s.

It was Friday the 13th.

“Friday the 13th has always been a really lucky day for me,” she said. “I went home that night and I’m like nothing really good happened. (I thought) that’s weird.”

She didn’t check her ticket for 11 days until she was at a gas station near her home.

A clerk told her, “You won big,” she said.

“I’m like, check it again,” Zachow said. “She said, ‘No you won big.’ A big line behind me. They were all looking at me -- ‘how much did you win?’ I got really nervous so I grabbed the ticket and I jumped in my car and locked the door. Checked again on my phone.

“I couldn’t breathe and I was driving home. Pulled in the driveway and ran out screaming. My boyfriend thought I got in a car accident, or hit someone on the street.

“It was crazy I couldn’t breathe. It was a lot to take in.”

She said the next hour was an “adrenalin rush” of “jumping around” and “screaming.”

Zachow has been a regular Mega Millions player for five years, saying won only small pots of $50 or lower. For the winning drawing, she played four sets of regular numbers that she always played and an “easy pick” set. The easy pick numbers hit. They were 07-38-46-49-56, with a Gold Mega Ball of 01.

Sonny Tarhini, owner of Sonny’s Mart, said he didn’t know Zachow by name by recognized her after seeing images of her Thursday.

Sonny won $50,000 for selling the ticket. He said he plans to host a barbecue at the gas station next Thursday or Friday. He will provide free refreshments and vendors will pass out coupons.

But he said he’s “more excited” about the publicity from the win.

Zachow said she waited more than six weeks to collect the money even though, “Word got out. It’s a small town.”

She moved slowly to prepare for the big change in her life. She hired a “team” of advisers.

“I wanted to be smart with it. I’ve been playing for five years so I kinda had a plan if I ever did win,” she said. “You watch those (TV) shows. People go bankrupt and lose it all. So, financial advisor, lawyer, taxes -- just getting everything straight beforehand. We have our ducks in a row and now we can have fun.”

Zachow had a July Fourth party among family, in part for the homecoming for Bartlett’s father, Bill, who was working for four months inspecting natural gas pipelines in West Virginia to generate extra income for his grandchildren.

The celebration will continue with low-key gathering this weekend followed Monday by the purchase of an SUV and later the purchase of an “electric blue,” “fully loaded” convertible GT Mustang.

“I want a Mustang, for sure,” she said.

She expects to take vacations to Ireland, since her boyfriend and his family are Irish, as well as Europe and the Caribbean.

She plans to buy a big house with lots of land in a rural area in St. Clair County, where she plans to have animals.

She wants to someday open an animal shelter, probably after her 7-month-old son Benjamin gets older.

“I always wanted to open a no-kill animal shelter of some sort but right now it’s taking care of the little one,” she said.

She also plans to establish college funds for young members of her family, including a litter brother, Gus.

Her boyfriend’s mother, Chrystal Bartlett, and grandmother, Virginia Swoffer, both of Marysville, said they expect Zachow and Bartlett seem equipped to handle the stress and responsibilty that comes with a lottery jackpot windfall because they are hard working and stable.

“They’re young, but they have a house, already have three cars,” Chrystal Bartlett said. “They’re pretty stable.”

Zachow was born in Mount Clements, attended L’Anse Creuse Public Schools and graduated from Marysville High School.

About the Author

My beat is the courts of Macomb County and general assignment.
Read more of Jameson Cook's court coverage on his blog http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/ Reach the author at jamie.cook@macombdaily.com
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